Nine Things We Thought You Knew About Web Writing

Hey you. Yes, you. You know who you are. We thought you had taken care of these web writing "demons." But it turns out you need a little reminder. So, here are nine things we thought you knew about web writing. 1. (Almost) No One Cares About Your Mission Statement Visitors care deeply about what your company can do and what you believe in. But they rarely care about the 33-word mission statement your staff spent an entire weekend retreat arguing about: "Our mission as a company is to value each and every client, as well as treat them with respect and dignity, while providing a world class solution that meets or exceeds client expectations." So spare your readers a bland, clichd mission statement. Instead devote your efforts to making your About Us pages clear and specific. 2. PDFs: Easy For You, Hard On Visitors Yes, we know it's easy to just slap up a PDF at your site, but that's not the same as repurposing print for the web. While PDFs are fine if the content will always be printed and read as hard copy, here are five reasons to avoid PDFs for online reading:

• They're slow to load and clumsy to scroll through.

• They're rarely hyperlinked to related content at the site.

• The page numbers get messed up. What the document's table of contents tells you will be on page 5 will probably be on page 7 or 8.

• Reading in Adobe's browser within your web browser is irritating.

• Because the PDF content was developed for print, the graphics and text layout don't work well online.
For a classic problem-PDF example, see the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland's brochure. In this PDF, readers are presented with brochure panels #4 and #1, followed by panels #2 and #3. Talk about having problems! 3. "Click Here" Is Lame Link Language Back in the day, some people argued novice users wouldn't know what to do unless a link said "click here." Well, that's ancient history-the web equivalent of telling airline passengers how to fasten their seat belts. "Click here" is lame because it doesn't help users find information as they scan, and it doesn't tell the users where the link is leading them-and what they'll find when they get there. 4. Proofread: It Shows You Care What do these three web headings have in common?
• Ten States Recieve Grants for College Readiness Programs
• Future of Family Medicine site: Original 80-word version: "In the increasingly fragmented world of health care, one thing remains constant: Family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focusing on integrated care. Unlike other specialties that are limited to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family medicine integrates care for patients of both genders across the full spectrum of ages within the context of community and advocates for the patient in an increasingly complex health care system." Our 35-word rewrite: "Family physicians treat the whole person. Family medicine's cornerstone is a personal patient-physician relationship; the focus is on integrated care. Unlike other specialties, family medicine cares and advocates for patients regardless of gender or age." 6. Text Shouldn't Move If you've written web content, you probably expect (or hope) your visitors will read it. Words are easier to read when they stay still, so use none of the following text effects:
• Rolling, like the For Your Information content at http://www.txwd.uscourts.gov
• Scrolling, in the banner at the top of the page at We think: Huh? Fluff is annoying in print and fatal online because most web visitors are scanning, not reading at all. Visitors who scan this text won't glean anything. It requires too much mental energy to translate fluff into fact. If you ever find yourself writing a passage like Booz Allen's, take a break, get a grip, and replace the buzzwords with concrete language. Or, at the very least, link abstractions like implementation and innovation to case studies rich in specifics. 8. Bad Page Design Kills Readability Page design must support your written content. At the Pine Project History page. These web writers ignored three clear signs their content needed headings:
• It's longer than one screen.
• Each paragraph covers a different topic.
• Most readers will want to read some of the paragraphs, not all. Headings help them find the paragraphs they want to read.
So, now you know the nine things we thought you already knew about web writing. Is web writing as simple as following these principles? Not quite. As Groucho Marx said, "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them.well, I have others." So stay tuned. We have others! E-WRITE teaches people the new rules for writing in the electronic age. We develop and teach writing courses, write web content, and translate print to online writing.